In the Junior Air Rifle program, youths can learn about gun safety and marksmanship in a safe and friendly environment. The program will meet at the Mount Joy Sportsmen's Association, 85 Range Road, on Saturdays from Oct. 22 through Dec. 17. The classes will begin at 9 a.m., and new shooters are welcome to join the program at any time.

"The program is designed for kids ages 8 to 18 of varying levels of experience," stated instructor Tom Amlie. "The expectation is that most of the shooters will be first-time participants. The program is meant to teach basic marksmanship skills in a safe environment." Participants will begin shooting from sandbags in order to learn the basics of safe rifle operation, sight alignment and trigger control, he said, adding, "After that, we'll move on to shooting using a sling, although smaller shooters might continue to shoot off sandbags for the entire season."

An "air gun" is any gun where the projectile is propelled by compressed air, whether provided by a spring, an internal pump or a removable compressed air tank, Amlie explained, noting, "They can be anything from the Daisy Red Ryder to Olympic-quality rifles costing thousands of dollars." The club provides air rifles for use, or shooters may bring their own as long as the gun has iron sights, meaning no scope or red-dot sight. "The club air rifles are designed for target shooting and are more appropriate than what most young people might already have," he commented.

Amlie said that air rifles provide a good introduction to safe firearms handling. "Air rifles - with their minimal noise and recoil - provide a very low-stress introduction for even the smallest shooters," he stated. "The club also offers a junior .22 rifle program in the spring for ages 12 and up, so the air rifle program is a great introduction for kids who might want to participate in that program."

He said the Junior Air Rifle program also offers a way for participants to potentially develop an interest in a lifelong sport. "Marksmanship is one of the few sports where age, within reason, and gender are largely irrelevant," Amlie shared. "Although international competitions are segregated by gender, in U.S. competitions, men and women compete side-by-side, and in the rifle disciplines, women are just as likely to be the national champions, whether in air rifle, .22 rifle or high-power rifle."

Amlie pointed out that the sport also offers a unique way to view competition. "One of the nicest things about the shooting sports is that you're competing against yourself as much or more than you are competing against other shooters," he said. "How other people are doing doesn't have any reflection, good or bad, on how you're doing."

There is a small fee to participate in the Junior Air Rifle program. For more information or to register, contact Amlie at 717-342-4484 or tta2@psu.edu.